Spags Gets Sitdown, Standing Up to Chiefs ‘Biased Opinion’

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Jeffery Simmons thoroughly dominated the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 21.

Steve Spagnuolo had a front-row seat as the Titans’ defensive tackle enjoyed his best performance of the season, earning the All-Pro the league’s Defensive Player of the Month honors.

On Thursday, Spagnuolo gets a front-row seat in front of his computer -- an opportunity to explain how he would best use a player like Simmons. Spagnuolo is one of nine initial head-coach interviews the Titans have requested.

That list includes Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, and Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi said Tuesday he’s conscious of any potential unconscious bias toward his former team.

Biased opinion on anybody

“You have to remove that piece,” said Borgonzi, who climbed the NFL personnel ladder almost exclusively in Kansas City from 2009-24, and worked closely with both coordinators, “that biased opinion on anybody that you might have a relationship with. You have to make the best decision for the organization, and that’s really the bottom line. Who is going to be the best leader and coach for this organization?”

If that Titans leader is Spagnuolo, it would be a surprise. The only coordinator in NFL history to win four Super Bowls, and the only to win the Super Bowl as a coordinator with more than one organization, Spagnuolo wouldn’t settle for just any situation.

Ideal situations

That could be why he thought long and hard before even scheduling his interview with Borgonzi this week (he was the last of the initial candidates to reportedly schedule the session). The Titans just finished last in the AFC South for a third straight season and haven’t been to the playoffs since 2021.

Over a longer stretch, Tennessee has just six playoff berths over the last 22 seasons (2004-25) and only one Super Bowl appearance in franchise history (1999).

In other words, Spagnuolo could be more interested in an organization with a more consistent winning history, such as the New York Giants or Baltimore Ravens, both teams at which he already has familiarity, where he’d be an ideal fit.

Spagnuolo isn’t on the immediate request list of the Giants, however. And the fact that New York has reportedly reached out to eight candidates – including current defensive coordinators Vance Joseph (Denver) and Lou Anarumo (Indianapolis) – doesn’t bode well for Spagnuolo’s prospects there.

nick bolto — Dec 7, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton (32) tackles Houston Texans running back Woody Marks (27) during the third quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amy Kontras-Imagn Images | Amy Kontras-Imagn Images

And even if the Ravens don’t interview him, or the Titans don’t hire him, Spagnuolo returning to the Chiefs would be a great thing for Andy Reid and Nick Bolton.

“Obviously,” Bolton said Monday, “selfishly, I don't want Spags to go anywhere. But yeah, with an opportunity, man, he's a great, great, great coach, great mentor. That’d be a great hire.”

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